All Terrain Brush Mower Advice

[tcar]

Just wondering if anyone has experience of a DR FBM-30K All-Terrain Field & Brush Mower (17 HP Kawasaki Engine), I’m thinking of getting one with a 42” lawn deck attachment, the idea being to get one mower that will meet all my needs.

 

I look after approx 1 ½ acres of lawn, usually cut twice a week, plus 4 acres of rough ground between trees with a lot of nettles, brambles docks etc, which is cut 3 or 4 times a year, plus about 1 ½” acres of rough sloping ground covered in bracken. At the moment I’m using a mower and Stihl clearing saw with a shredder blade, but it’s taking far too long

 

DR FBM-30K ALL-TERRAIN FIELD & BRUSH MOWER (17 HP KAWASAKI ENGINE)

 

DR Power Equipment - Brush Mower / Brush Cutter - 42" brush cutter lawn deck

 

I’d really appreciate anyone’s experience with this mower or suggestions for an alternative setup.

 

Thanks

 

Trevor

[MATTMOSS]

Hi Trevor,

they have got some thing similar to that at my work called a Bank Commander, basically an engine with wheels which you add different atachments to. EG flail, 3'' chipper mower and brush cutter. It is quite useful in poor access areas and is more robust than wat you are using now, but I dont knowif its because its an old model but the lads say the vibration is really bad.

Exact words were'' it shakes you to death''

Maybe something to check if you decide to get one?

M

[Matthew Arnold]

We have a DR mower. Its the 13 hp model and it copes with our needs. We have a rough deck and a 42 inch lawn deck. We use a smaller fine cut mower for the nicer areas and use the rough deck for the tougher stuff. The lawn deck is designed for lawns and very light bramble/dock/nettle. If you try and use the lawn deck for taking out 3' + high nettles and bracken the belt will let go fairly soon. So it would pay to get a rough deck with it so you can take out 2" trees. After you have gone over everything which is rough with the brush deck you cant then swap to the lawn deck but slowly lower the cutting height every week or so. DR may have sorted it but the problem we have with our lawn deck is one blade is lower than the other but only by 1/4". Other than that it is a cracking mower.

[tcar]

Thanks for the replies; it would be the rough deck and the 42 inch lawn deck I’d be after, is it a fairly straightforward / quick operation to swap the decks?

[difflock]

May be in a different price bracket but years ago I saw demonstrated and then myself tried an "Attila" ride on brush cutter, manufactured by Etesia.

Out and out impressive.

Ferris or Skag stuff is very good too.

Generally the Ferris could be fixed with a club hammer, an angle grinder and a welder.

But any need for repairs was exceptional.

My kind of engineering.

[shabz1978]

Attila is the daddy! They really are good!

[burrell_]

rough cut mower scag , ferris or etesia Attila that my advice

[Lee Winger]

have you considered a pedestrian flail mower? there are so many options for rough mowing, its picking the right one. I've been wanting a rough mower for years, i'm still using the Stihl clearing saw with mulching blade.

[matt528]

the etisia is an amazing bit of kit. when we first got one at work i laughed at it but my word did i underestimate it. incredibly versatile it will cut grasses and nettles that stand higher than the machine and im sure on banks you would fall off before it tipped over it grips like mad. might not be what your ideally looking for but it is an awesome machine

[Rich2484]

We have a ferris, not got the twin wheel.

 

Good mower, runs every time. Had a hydraulic oil leak on it and had to take engine off to replace a gasket but fantastic machine, I like the Kawasaki engine aswell.